Rail-joint.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARDS F. SCI-IERMER'HORN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IE RAIL JOINT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

RAIL-JOINT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enwnnns E Sonar.- MERHORN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to the subject of rail joints and primarily has in view a novel and practical" construction of joint so designed that it may be used to fit, without change, more than one size of rail, thus enlarging the use and materially increasing the practical utility of a rail joint.

The present forms of rail joints as commonly used are each designed to fit one particular section or size of rail, and the same joint can not be employed in connection with a different rail section in which the fishing space is either larger or smaller. Thisnecessitates the use of a separate set of costly rolls for rolled steel joint members, or patterns for cast steel joint members, for each of the innumerable rail sections. By means of the present invention, however, one set of rolls or patterns can be employed for two different rail sections, thus decreasing by one-half the cost of. such apparatus for two rail sections. It will furthermore be apparent that with this invention the stock of rail joint plates which must be carried on hand by a manufacturer for the various rail sections will be only one-half as large, and involve only one-half of the material which would otherwise be necessary.

The invention will also be particularly adaptable to a condition frequently met on railroads using light rail sections and where the track is not well kept up. Under these conditions, especially if the rails should be soft, the friction and pounding at the rail joints, due to the traflic passing thereover, will cause the metal to be worn away at the lower surface of the head and on top of the base flange, thereby permitting the joint bars to pull in tight against the web of the rail so as to render it impossible to keep the bolts tight or to maintain a proper fit of the joint members to the rail. This difficulty can be obviated with the present invention by designing the joint bars in such a manner as to fit the enlarged fishing spaces of the worn rails when applied to the said rails in a reverse position.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 8, 1911.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

Serial No. 613,173.

It also frequently happens that a railroad employs two different weights of rails with only a slight difference in the fishing space, and with the present invention it is possible for one set of joint plates to be used for both weights of rails.

lVith these and many other objects in view, which will readily appear to those familiar with the art as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same c0nsists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

The essential features of the invention involved in the carrying out of the objects above indicated are necessarily susceptible of structural change without departing from the scope of the invention; but a preferred embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through a rail joint constructed in accordance with the present invention, the joint members being shown as properly asse1nbled to lit the smaller of the two sizes of rails, Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the joint members properly assembled to fit the larger of two sizes of rails.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all of the views of the drawingsby the same reference characters.

The form of joint which has been selected as an example to illustrate the present invention is of the type known as the Weber joint and comprises an angle shoe A which fits under the rails to form a base support for the same, the joint bars B and C which are applied to opposite sides of the rails, a filler block 5 interposed between the joint bar 0 and the upright clamping plate of the angle shoe, and the usual joint bolts 6 which extend through the various parts and hold them in a firm engagement with the rails.

The angle shoe A is formed with a hori zontal base plate 7 which extends under the bottom of the rails, and with a clamping plate 8 which projects vertically upward from one side of the base plate, and serves the usual functions. The joint member B has the form of an angle bar, one of the flanges thereof being designed to fit against the upper side of the base flanges of the rails, while the other flange of the angle bar is designed to be received within the fishing points on the beveled surfaces 16.

space of the rails. The edges of the angle bar are beveled at 10 to provide rail bearing surfaces adapted to engage the inclined under sides of the rail heads, and the flange 11 is slightly narrower in width than the flange 12, so that one has a greater vertical height than the other when lying in the fishing space. It will also be observed that the edges of the angle bar are enlarged at 13, to form the usual bearing heads that present the surfaces 10. hen employed in connection with the smaller rail, say for example an eighty pound rail, as shown in Fig. 1, the narrower flange 11 of the angle bar would have a vertical position within the fishing space of the rails, while with the larger rail section, say an eighty-five pound rail, as indicated in Fig. 2, the wider flange 12 would occupy a vertical position within the fishing space of the rails. It will thus be obvious that by merely reversing the angle bar it will accurately fit either one of two differentsizes of rails. The opposite joint member C has the form of a channel bar, and is provided at the top and bottom thereof with the flange members 14 which project substantially equal distances on opposite sides of the central plane of the angle bar. The outer edges of these flanges 14; are reversely beveled as indicated at 15 and 16, the bevels 15 being deeper than the beveled portions 16 so that corresponding points on the beveled surfaces 15 are closer together in a vertical direction than similar It will thus be obvious that the side of the channel bar upon which the beveled edges 15 are located will fit into a smaller fishing space than that side of the channel bar upon which the beveled edges 16 are located. The angle of the beveled surfaces 15 and 16 corresponds to the angles of the under sides of the rail heads, and the top of the base flanges, and when the channel bar is applied to the smaller of the two rail sections, such as the eighty pound rail shown in Fig. 1, the deeply beveled edges 15 are inserted into the fishing space of the rails, while, when the channel bar is applied to the larger rail section, such as the eighty-five pound rail shown in Fig. 2, the beveled edges 16 are inserted in the fishing space of the rails. Hence, by merely reversing the channel bar from side to side, it can be applied to either oftwo sizes of rails.

The inner sides of the flanges 1 1 of the channel bar are beveled as at 17, at a uniform angle, so as to provide channels upon oppo site sides of the said bar that are equal in size and symmetrical in shape. The outer of these spaces receives the elastic filling block 5 which is interposed between the channel bar and the upright clamping plate 8 of the angle shoe and may be formed of wood or other suitable material. This filling block 5 preferably has the top and bottom edges thereof reversely beveled as at 18 in a corresponding manner so that either side thereof will fit accurately between the flanges of the channel bar. Owing to the symmetrical shape of the filling block, it will also be apparent that it is reversible and that no particular care is required on the part of the person assembling the joint to see that the block is properly positioned. This filling block will fit either side of the channel bar, so that there is no necessity either for employing two sizes of filling blocks or for reversing the filling block when the channel bar is reversed. Both the channel bar C and the angle bar B are slightly spaced from the web of the rail for adjustment purposes, and the usual bolts 6 extend through the various members in such a manner as to hold them securely in position and clamp the angle bar 5 and the channel bar C tightly against the rails.

All of the parts of the joint are uniform in cross section throughout their length so that the metallic portions can be readily formed in a rolling mill, and as has been previously set forth, by reversing the joint bars B and C the joint can be applied with equal facility to either one of two rail sections.

In carrying out the invention, it will be noted that the same shoe angle, as shown, can be used with the different sections of rails, and it will be further understood that changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction that fall within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

I claim:

1. A rail joint having duplex members provided with means adapting them to alternatively fit rails of difl erent sections.

2. A rail joint including joint bars of uniform section throughout and provided with separate fishingparts of different heights.

3. A rail joint including joint bars having a double set of fishing-parts'of different heights and presenting a double set of rail bearing surfaces adapted to alternatively fit rails of different section.

4. A rail joint having a reversible duplex joint bar adapted to alternatively fit rails of different section.

5. A rail joint including a pair of oppo site reversible joint bars each having separate fishing-parts of different heights.

6. A reversible bar for rail joints having flanges of unequal width and respectively adapted to fit fishing-spaces of different heights.

7 A reversible angle bar of uniform section throughout and having flanges of unequal width and respectively adapted to fit fishing spaces of different heights.

8. A rail joint including a double reversible channel bar having separate fishing-parts of different heights.

9. A rail joint including a double reversible channel bar having separate fishing-parts of different heights, a shoe angle, and a filler block interposed between either side of the channel bar and the upright member of the shoe angle.

10. A rail joint including a double reversible channel bar having separate fishingparts of difl'erent heights, and a reversible filler block fitting either channel of said bar.

11. A rail joint including a reversible joint bar having its upper and lower edges beveled in opposite directions, the bevels at one side being deeper than those at the other side so that one side of the bar will be adapted to fit the fishing spaces of rails of one section, and the other side of the bar will be adapted to fit the fishing spaces of rails of a difierent section.

12. A rail joint including a double reversible channel bar of uniform section throughout and having channels of uniform size and shape, said bars being also provided with separate fishing-parts of different heights, and a filler block fitting the channel at either side of the bar.

13. In a rail joint, a reversible channel bar formed at the top and bottom thereof with flanges which project on opposite sides thereof, the inner sides of the flanges being correspondingly beveled to provide equal and similar spaces on each side of the channel bar while the outer edges of the flanges are beveled in opposite directions and deeper upon one side than upon the opposite side so that by reversing the channel bar it can be inserted in the fishing space of different sections of rails, and a filler block cooperating with the channel bar and adapted to fit within the space between the upper and lower flanges upon either side of the channel bar.

14. In a rail joint, an angle shoe, reversible joint bars adapted to alternatively fit in the fishing spaces of different sections of rails, a filler block interposed between one of the oint bars and the angle shoe, and means for holding the said members in an assembled position.

15. In a rail joint, an angle shoe, a reversible angle bar either flange of which is adapted to be fitted in the fishing space of the rails While the opposite flange extends over the rail flanges, a reversible channel bar having the upper and lower edges thereof beveled in opposite directions so that either side thereof can be inserted in the fishing spaces of the rails, a filler block interposed between the channel bar and the angle shoe, and means for holding the various members in an assembled position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ai'lix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARDS F. SCHERMERHORN.

WVitnesses:

BENJ. VVOLI-IAUPTER, K. MONALLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

